Index divider sheets with transparent index tabs are articles used, for example, by school children, businessmen, and office workers. Users have employed index divider sheets to divide notebooks according to school subjects, reports according to chapters, and presentations according to sections, as well as for any other use where a collection of materials must be divided into sections that can be easily identified and accessed.
Concerning removable multilayer label assemblies which have been used, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,058, issued to Jameson et al., discloses a multi-ply form with labels. The Jameson multi-ply form includes first and second carrier webs secured to each other by repositionable adhesive. Various labels are attached to die-cut portions of the second carrier web with a permanent adhesive. To use the multi-ply form with attached labels, the form is first disposed in a printer such that the necessary indicia may be preprinted on each of the labels. When removed from the printer, the first carrier web of the form may be removed from the second web, exposing the repositionable adhesive on the underside of the die-cut portions of the second web. The removed label may then be secured to a new surface using repositionable adhesive. The Jameson multi-ply form has three layers: (1) the first carrier web, (2) the second carrier web, and (3) a layer of labels. The number of layers in a multi-ply form or sheet directly affects its manufacturing costs. A multi-ply form with more layers requires more efforts to assemble and manufacture since it has more components, thereby costing more.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,261, issued to Cusack et al. (hereafter Cusack), discloses an index tab label assembly using a label having a coating that facilitates printing on the label. The Cusack label assembly has only two layers: (1) a backing sheet, and (2) a layer of removable labels. Each label is made out of a polyester film having a coating applied to the front side of the sheet to facilitate printing when using laser or xerographic equipment and a pressure-sensitive adhesive attached to the back side of the film. The labels may be releasably attached to a backing sheet. When so configured, the labels may be fed through laser or other printing equipment so that indicia such as numbers, letters, designs, may be printed on the labels. After indicia is printed on a label, the label may then be peeled from the backing sheet due to a release coating. The label may then be attached to a tab reinforcer using the pressure-sensitive adhesive that is applied on the back of the label. The tab reinforcer is then attached to a tab of the divider sheet. It is noted that when the user assembles and uses the Cusack index tab label assembly as disclosed, the divider may only be identified from one side since the identification indicia on the label can be read only from one side. In addition, the Cusack tab label has pressure sensitive adhesive thereon, making it more difficult to re-use the divider. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the construction and use of a new and improved multilayer label assembly, and, in particular, to the construction and use of an index tab label insert sheet that (1) is cost-effective to manufacture, (2) has a dry peel feature, (3) can be passed through a printer or photocopier multiple times, and (4) has foldable tab label inserts which can be read and identified from both sides. An index tab label insert sheet in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present inventions includes, among other elements, (1) a face stock sheet having a plurality of foldable tab label inserts, (2) a backing sheet, preferably release coated, generally coextensive with the face stock sheet, (3) an adhesive coating, preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, between the face stock sheet and the release coated backing sheet, and (4) a patterned varnish coating underneath the index tab label inserts, making the inserts readily removed from the release coated backing sheet.
The present invention increases manufacturing cost-effectiveness by having only two sheets: (1) a face stock sheet, and (2) a released coated backing sheet. By having only two sheets, the current novel tab label insert sheet assembly uses a minimal number of components and thereby requires less efforts to assemble. Therefore, production costs may be kept to a minimum.
Another unique feature of the present tab label insert sheet is its dry peel feature. A pressure sensitive adhesive coating is applied to the underside of the face stock sheet to secure the face stock sheet to the release coated backing sheet. A patterned varnish coating is applied to the underside of the removable tab label inserts on the face stock sheet. The patterned varnish coating facilitates the easy removal of the tab label inserts from the release coated backing sheet by deadening or reducing the stickiness of the adhesive. Furthermore, the varnish coating sufficient reduces the stickiness of the tab label inserts so that the removed inserts do not stick to the user's fingers and thereby avoid aggravating the user.
Another advantage of the present novel tab label insert sheet is its multi-pass capability. First, the low-tack design of the insert sheet allows for multi-pass capability. Adhesive bleeding is a condition where adhesive on a typical multilayer sheet is transferred from the sheet to internal parts of a printer or photocopier. The transferring effect is caused by the pressure and heat generated by the printer or photocopier as the typical multilayer sheet travels through the printer or photocopier. The current novel tab label insert sheet has a low-tack design where just enough, and not excessive, adhesive is applied to the sheet to secure the label inserts. Thus the low-tack design reduces the risk of adhesive bleeding commonly found with other self-adhesive label products; and means that even with repeated exposure to the heat and pressure of copier and printer rolls that adhesive bleed will not occur. Second, the inventive tab label insert sheet is sufficiently flexible and resilient so that it can be passed through a printer or photocopier multiple times. As a result, users may initially pass the inventive insert sheet through a printer to print indicia on a few of the label inserts, and may pass the sheet through the printer a second or third time to print indicia on a few other label inserts without having to discard the unused portion, thereby avoiding waste.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.